On the Bears

Former Bears second-rounder Dan Bazuin finds spot in Houston

December 25, 2008|By David Haugh

Dan Bazuin will spend all week trying to do what he can to help make Houston tackle Eric Winston's job easier Sunday against the Bears. That is Bazuin's job as a member of the team's practice squad, after all.

The former Bears defensive end was signed to the Texans' practice squad Dec. 4.

"I'm Adewale [Ogunleye] this week," Bazuin said. "Knowing the Bears defense as well as I do, I think I'm going to give them as realistic a look as you can get."

Bazuin would like nothing more than to imitate Ogunleye's NFL career path too. Injuries essentially wiped out Ogunleye's first two pro seasons and delayed his development into a quality defensive end until Year 3, which has become the goal for the Bears' 2007 second-round draft pick.

Bazuin's goals had to be redefined after the Bears cut him Aug. 30.

"It was a surprise," Bazuin acknowledged.

It really shouldn't have been.

When training camp opened in July, Bazuin had hoped to play his way into the rotation behind Ogunleye and Alex Brown. The Bears simply ran out of time and patience waiting for Bazuin's left knee to recover so he could resemble the player who had 351/2 sacks at Central Michigan.

The left knee Bazuin injured during the first rookie mini-camp he attended prevented him from ever feeling 100 percent healthy in Chicago. The knee eventually required two surgeries to repair the meniscus and address strength issues under the kneecap, and only recently has Bazuin felt comfortable with its progress.

It took a trip to the Hospital for Special Surgeries in New York and a second opinion from Dr. Frank Cordasco, whose recommendation Bazuin embraced.

Cordasco treated Bazuin's knee with injections that lubricate and cushion the knee joint and relieve pain while improving mobility for up to six months. It's an FDA-approved method of treatment used mostly in knees that haven't responded to more conservative therapy. Some medical Web sites describe it as alternative to arthroscopic surgery.

Some NFL executives or medical staffs might consider such a course of action extreme, and evidence that justifies the Bears' decision to cut Bazuin loose.

"For a certain percentage of patients it works, and for a certain percentage it doesn't work," Bazuin said. "It worked for me. I was bone on bone, and this was like replacing the cartilage that was taken out of my knee."

Over a 15-day period, Bazuin traveled to New York and took three injections one week apart. He says he immediately noticed the results.

"It's been feeling great since," he said. "I feel like it's a new start."

The Bears don't discuss treatment of injuries publicly, and Bazuin says he's more interested in what might be in Houston as opposed to what might have been in Chicago. He allowed that he has wondered why the Bears didn't choose to place him on injured reserve to give him another year to develop and pursue some rehabilitation alternatives such as he has.

But it would be incorrect to perceive Bazuin as a disgruntled former employee. Someone who has endured the family tragedy of a brother who committed suicide is much less prone to holding grudges and losing perspective than most 25-year-old professional athletes.

He's just sorry he was unable to take advantage of the chance the Bears gave him by making him the 62nd overall selection, even though they were set at defensive end.

At the time they drafted Bazuin, the Bears had every intention of trading Brown, who wanted out after being demoted for Mark Anderson in one of the team's poorest post-Super Bowl decisions. Brown not only stayed, he has put together two solid seasons since, and Bazuin's injuries never allowed him on the field long enough to make an impression.

When the Bears decided to keep five defensive tackles and only three defensive ends this year, they showed Bazuin the same door former high picks Michael Okwo, Mark Bradley and Cedric Benson passed through on their way out of town.

"The Bears felt they were out of options with me," Bazuin said. "I just don't think they took advantage of all those options."

It will look premature only if Bazuin takes advantage of his chance in Houston. Three teams showed interest in Bazuin after the Bears let him go. After giving his knee a necessary rest, he opted to start over with a Texans team whose arrow is pointing up.

"We have young guys," Bazuin said. "I have to stay patient, and I'm excited to learn the system and just learn how to play in the NFL. Our defensive line is full of guys who have less than four years' experience. Everybody is learning."

Nobody has learned more about himself and the league in the last few months than Bazuin, who isn't surprised the team he spent training camp with still has a shot at the playoffs.

"Those guys were just in the Super Bowl two years ago, so there was that feeling," Bazuin said. "I had a great time in Chicago. Injuries held me back, but I don't look at it as a negative experience. We're all dealt a hand. ... It's how you play that hand that matters."